But They Needed a Hug
by Laryna6
Summary: Darn it, Yu, this is an Investigation Team, not your harem! Everyone/Yu/The World
1. The Power of Hugs

_Playing through the game, I tried to have no romantic relationships._

…_I really did. This was the most common reason I failed._

_Also, as a public service message, am I the only person who has gotten really, really annoyed by people who post their Persona fics in the the Megami Tensei section? The Persona series is the only Megaten game series to have its own section, and instead of taking advantage of that, people keep spamming the Megaten section with their Persona fics and making everyone have to wade through pages and pages to find anything with Gale, or Raidou, or any of the other Megaten characters! _

_So please, people, I know that the Persona games contain some general series elements, but if your fic is primarily Persona, either put it in the the Persona section or, if you absolutely _have _to, list it as a Persona/Megaten crossover, ok? There's no excuse for doing anything else, at least until the site gives Devil Survivor and all the other subseries their own sections._

* * *

"Hi, guys."

"Hey," Yosuke said, nodding to Yu as they sat around the table. "So, we going after him today?"

"Yeah, but… Remember Ai? She's the basketball team's manager?"

Yosuke groaned, leaning forward to put his head on the table.

"Way to go, sensei!" Teddie cheered.

"Wha-what, again?" Chie demanded. "This is an Investigation Team, not your harem!" she said, getting to her feet and putting her hands on her hips.

"But she needed a hug!" Yu insisted, although at least he had the grace to look sheepish.

"Sheesh, sempai, you gotta learn to say no!" Kanji told him, then looked to the side, "Well, if the girl was crying like that Yumi, and…"

"I was going to set her up with Kou, but he doesn't want to do anything without Daisuke and Daisuke's not into girls," Yu said, shrugging. He didn't get that, but if Daisuke really did feel that way even after getting to know Chie and all the others, it must just be the way he was, unlike how most people claimed they were perfectly straight.

And then they met Yu.

"Hey, setting her up with someone doesn't mean we can't invite her!" Rise smiled at Yu, who returned her grin, giving him a thumbs up. "I mean, there's Kanji and Naoto, and Chie and Yukiko, and you already mentioned Kou and Daisuke, and Naoki and Yumi are getting really close!" Great for them!

Chie blushed. "Well…"

She looked at Yukiko for help, but there wasn't any to be found there: the dark-haired girl was still snickering. "Not… not his harem…"

That was clearly one of the _funniest things she had ever heard_.

"You guys aren't my harem, you're my friends," Yu protested.

"With benefits!" Teddie added happily.

"You've even managed to seduce the shrine's guardian kitsune," Naoto pointed out with a resigned yet somewhat irritated expression. "And to think that I rejected the hypothesis that you were starting a cult even before confirming that you weren't responsible for the murders…"

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Rise clapped her hands together. "…Just kidding."

"Aww, but that's a great idea!" Teddie protested.

"Don't make jokes like that, people might believe you," Naoto said, hand on her chest as she calmed down.

"It's not like I mean to…"

"We know man, we know," Yosuke interrupted him, head still on the table. Since he was one of the people who had needed a hug, as well as someone who used to think he was straight. "But this is getting kind of ridiculous. I mean, show of hands: am I the only one amazed that Yu didn't end up getting kidnapped?"

No, he definitely wasn't. "I'd totally kidnap him." Rise nodded. "And so would a lot of my fans. I mean, if I'd been much bigger, I wouldn't have felt safe coming back here without bodyguards." She'd been too dead to the world to really care about the risk of getting kidnapped by a stalker _or _a murderer until she met Yu and everyone.

"So what, so the only way to stop someone from carrying him off is to guard him twenty-four/seven?" Kanji asked. What if the next person Yu decided to help was the leader of one of those damn biker gangs or something?

"I don't really think that's necessary…" Yu said.

"We'll have to guard him in shifts." Naoto ignored him, since Yu was clearly too trusting and too generous with his compassion and affections. The way he'd remembered such little things about Naoto that she'd only said once: it wasn't just proof of his skill as a detective, it was proof that he cared. "It will be especially important now that he's home alone. Teddie can move in with him-"

"Score!" the bear cheered.

"-and so can I, since the suspect is still at large," and Naoto had a gun, "but the rest of you will have to see what your families will find acceptable. As soon as we've returned from the TV world, I'll call the others to inform them of the risk to Yu and start drawing up a schedule."

"What about his part-time jobs?" Yosuke reminded her, since he worked at Junes himself. "Shu, that poor kid…" Who hadn't had anyone else to give him a birthday until Yu called him.

"Shu decided to stop studying so hard and join a baseball team, and Sayoko left to find herself," Yu told him. "I'm still working at the daycare center," since he missed Nanako, "but besides that I'm mostly just fishing and spending time with people. Oh, right, I should introduce Naoki to Hisano."

"Hisano?" Yosuke demanded. Who was this Hisano?

"She's really old," Chie told him, blinking. "I don't think… right?"

"No!" Yu told her, shocked. "…Although she does keep saying I look like her husband."

"Can't…. breathe…" Yukiko managed to force out through the laughter.

"Yukiko!" Chie picked her up. "Come on, we have to get over there so someone can cast Amrita!"

* * *

Everyone stared.

Ai folded her arms. "And what exactly do you have to say for yourself?"

"But her husband abandoned her because of her looks, and she really needed a hug!" Yu said in his defense, standing between everyone else and the grey-haired gas station attendant so she didn't get her feelings hurt.

Rise nudged the guy on her left. "Pay up, Yosuke."

Yosuke dug in his pocket for his wallet, muttering "Goddammit," under his breath.

"That can be arranged," was the goddess' response.

* * *

_FYI, what Yukiko is laughing at is the the idea that they _aren't_ his harem. Because they totally are._


	2. Original Pimp

_You know how the name of the Lilith bonus boss battle in_ Devil Survivor 2_ is Original Wife?_

* * *

"Dude!" Yosuke exclaimed, hands on his knees as he panted for breath, trying to stay on his feet. "Can you stop cheering us on and squeeing about how well we're doing when you're totally kicking our asses? It's really creeping me out here!"

"He _is _going easy on us," Yu pointed out, unflappable as ever even as Naoto pushed him out of the way, Yamato Takeru protecting her from the blinding light the strange man called forth.

"As though that makes it any better!" Yosuke finally looked up and winced. "He's not even using a persona."

"I think he _is _a persona," Rise said slowly. "I still can't get a read on him, but he's like that woman and kind of like you, sempai."

"Wait, that woman? The woman we fought here before? Dude, why did we come back here? This place is cursed!" Yosuke hung his head in his hands, well-developed reflexes sending him scrambling out of the way in time to avoid a blast of light followed by a delighted laugh a second later.

"Like sempai?" Naoto asked even as she charged up.

"Well, someone's not looking very surprised," Kanji said, looking at Yu with narrowed, annoyed eyes as their opponent dodged Chie's assault, ponytail swishing behind him. Couldn't think of the guy as an enemy somehow, even though normally Kanji got pretty pissed off with any shadow that managed to lay a finger on Naoto, much less take her down that many times. It might have helped that Naoto's immunity to light meant she was having an easier time of it than any of them but sempai.

"Well, he does have the same color hair I do," Yu said thoughtfully as he crushed another card, calling up Beelzebub.

"We're not talking about whether he feels like you, we're talking about did you know this guy would be here and kick our asses and… Wait, do you think this is your shadow?" It did figure, Yosuke thought. That Yu would get a shadow that kicked their asses this hard. And wasn't anywhere near as embarrassing as everyone else's, even if… "Duck and cover!"

"Magnificent!" the silver-haired man clapped when all of them managed to groan and get back up on their feet.

"What do you think, Kanji?" Naoto asked after Yu cast Salvation. So that was why Yu hadn't let Yukiko or Teddie come with them, despite the fact they were facing such a difficult opponent: she could tell this foe was intelligent enough to exploit their elemental weaknesses relentlessly. Forget Ai and her weakness to light, when this man's second most powerful attack was of that element.

"I don't know, but that's one well-fitted suit… Not that I'm checking him out or anything, it's just a really good suit!" Like, a perfect suit. Kanji's inner tailor was in love, and he hoped that wasn't why his persona was barely managing to lay a hit on this guy. Yeah, it would be a shame to wreck that suit, but the bastard was kicking their asses here!

"Let us see if the pressure of adversity brings out your true potential as human beings," the man said, dark-purple light gathering within his hands.

Yosuke blanched. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me! Another megidolaon?" None of them had survived the last one! If it weren't for Yu making them all put on those things that brought them back to life once, no one would have survived his follow-up attacks long enough to revive and heal up the others!

"This is it!" Yu ran forward, not calling up one of his personas, but… punching the other guy in the face?

The mask clattered to the ground.

"So he really is sempai's shadow?" Kanji asked, trying not to visibly pant. That explained why the bastard was so freaking _tough_. "Hurry up and accept him, already!" There was no way they'd survive having to do this twice.

Face set in a serious expression, Yu met bright golden eyes with his own grey. "So, now that I've demonstrated the power of human potential, do I have permission to date your granddaughter?"

"What?!" Chie squawked. "What… Seriously?"

"Aagh! Dude, not again!" Yosuke fell to the ground from the combined force of exhaustion and drama. "We busted our asses so you could get _another _one?"

The man who looked like an older version of Yu frowned. "Whatever gave you the idea that my approval was necessary?"

"Margaret said-"

"Margaret? The woman who was here before? That's who you're picking up this time?" Rise demanded. "I know, Teddie, and Izzy, but… She's definitely not human!" She clenched her fists, pouting.

"Risking everyone's lives just for that?" Naoto's finger rested on the safety of her gun: her weapons handling discipline was too ingrained to point it at Yu unless she meant to fire, but from the angle she was very, very tempted.

"I'm sorry for putting you to so much trouble," they heard from the entrance. Turning, they beheld that same yellow-eyes woman. Only now did they notice that her hair was also the same color as Yu's, and made the connection that she was the granddaughter they were talking about, the descendant of this being with Yu's face. "But you see, my grandfather is Philemon, the avatar of human development and the source of the power of Persona. We beings born from the sea of the Collective Unconsciousness are made up of the emotions in human hearts. The determination to overcome your true selves and grow as human beings, the belief that you can accomplish this is Grandfather's flesh and blood. We had not seen him for some time, not since the last Wild Card chose his own death since he did not believe that humans could overcome their own desire for death. Since the Wild Cards are those humans who contain the most of his strength, my sister Elizabeth was afraid Arisato's despair had dealt him a fatal blow, and left the Velvet Room to seek another method of strengthening the human heart, instead of simply giving you the tools you need to bring out your own potential."

Philemon frowned. "Margaret… are you sure you are not the one losing your faith in humanity, as well as your own sister? Minato chose his fate of his own free will. Instead of choosing the power of Persona himself, he was chosen by death. I granted him access to the Velvet Room at Pharos' request so that he could overcome his fate. He did not choose death, but life: he sacrificed himself to ensure the safety of the world, secure in the knowledge that humanity would evolve and eventually he would be freed. Your sister left the Velvet Room with my and Igor's blessings in order to hasten the day her sleeping prince would awaken. Yes, working towards this with her own two hands instead of having faith that humanity can overcome their own selves without needing any outside power to do it for them is against my nature, but it is not as though she joined the camp of… my opposite number." Turning to Yu, he told him, "My granddaughter is old enough to make her own decisions: it would be backwards of me to insist on controlling her life simply because of her gender. However, since their other daughters feelings for Minato caused Elizabeth to take such drastic action, Margaret's parents might wish to meet you."

"Tell them to bring it on," Yu said, straightening out and holding out Philemon's butterfly mask.

"Excellent! As former attendants of the Velvet Room, I'm sure Belladonna and Nameless will draw forth even more of your untapped potential."

As the two of them shook hands, mirroring the same Good Guy smile, Yosuke groaned. "Naoto, just shoot me now, please?"

* * *

_Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, I love it so hard. Nyarlathotep is Muahahaha awesome, and going from playing P4 to playing P2 really does make P4 feel like the kiddie version of the Persona sub-franchise, forget the SMT series as a whole. Much of this is because Yu ends up such an ideal human, so..._

_I love the bit where Tatsuya can punch Philemon in the face and knock off the mask to reveal Tatsuya's face, how it brings home that both Philemon and Nyarlathotep are just faces of humanity. But when Philemon wears Tatsuya's face, since the protagonist is the one fighting for humanity to overcome, and even so Tatsuya yields to the urge to blame someone else/some external force that isn't for his own weakness and humanity's inability to overcome its problems... No wonder the P2 universes are so fucked. _

_Also the whole reason Nyarlathotep can act directly and Philemon can't: Philemon trying to act directly to save humanity would fatal logic error/BSOD him, since he is the avatar of the concept of humanity solving its own problems while he himself, despite being born of human consciousness, is not human. He's what we could be, not what we are. Nyarlathotep, on the other hand, is the avatar of humanity's dickishness and helplessness in the face o our own inner stupidity and dickishness. As Baofu points out, Nyarlathotep_ is_ human: the seething mass of stupidity in the heart of the universe _is us.

_Yu, on the other hand, once you get him to max level in Understanding and so on, ends up very pimp/an ideal of humanity, so his nature would be much closer to Philemon. I was considering having Margaret be Philemon's daughter, and her thing for Yu being a bit Oedipal (even though Philemon is from Jungian psychology, definitely not Freudian), but the idea of a Nameless & Belladonna boss battle was too much fun. _

_By the way, people: Nameless is on the character list because he's one of the Velvet Room staff members. So stop using his name for the main character. Someone needs to write actual Nameless fic… _


	3. Powerleveling

Face pale, Yosuke stood frozen in front of the fridge. Now was the moment of truth.

"Yosuke, you're letting all the cold air out… Oh." Teddie gulped. "Man, Yosuke, Sensei can be so cruel…"

"I'm, I'm going to do it," Yosuke told himself.

"Think about scoring!" Teddie encouraged him. "This is Sensei: I just know you'll level up fast!"

But the price… "Maybe if I don't look at it." Yosuke closed his eyes and opened the container.

Scrambling to pinch his nose shut, he almost dropped the container. "No good…"

With Teddie here, he couldn't just dump it in the trash… Unless he knocked Teddie out first?

No! Yosuke shook his head. "It's going in!"

"Wow, Yosuke!" Teddie cheered.

The reaction was instant. "Ugh… I don't feel so good…"

The bear winced as Yosuke hit the ground. "Don't worry, Yosuke, I'll drag you to bed. I'll even cast Amrita tomorrow if you need me to!" That wasn't part of what he'd promised Sensei, to help with Yosuke's training, but who would have thought, Yosuke doing something so brave in order to score? He wasn't as awesome as Sensei, but, "Sensei's special training is totally working! That was almost cool of you!"

Almost? It was impossible to tell if that or the stomachache was what made Yosuke groan.

* * *

Yosuke sighed, leaning back on his hands on the school roof. "Man, Yu, how do you do it? Why do the girls always let you get away with everything?"

"Yeah, I mean, what's your secret?" Kanji looked to the side. The direction of the door Naoto had just left through.

"Even when you just got here, Yukiko… And Chie, man, Chie! Do you know how long it took me to get in good enough with her so she'd loan me that DVD?" And Yosuke knew that was only because they were both weirdos, that if Chie had more friends than Yukiko? He'd only been able to make that shallow bond with her because she was another outcast.

Yu put down his lunch, giving them his full attention. "You mean, you want to know why I get along with everyone?"

Kanji nodded, remembering. "I mean, you always know just what to say. How the hell do you do it, sempai?"

"I wish I could get me some of that." Yosuke shook his head, dejected. "There's no way, though. You're one in a million, partner."

"No," Yu said, standing up, "I'm not. Do you want to know how I do it? Do you want to possess the characteristics that have made it possible for me to connect with all of you?"

"Are you kidding?" Kanji asked bluntly. "Man, if you taught a class or something, you'd make millions."

"Bonds with other people are more important than anything else," their leader said, hands clasped behind his back as he paced in front of the two of them. "They are not something cheap that comes easily. Developing relationships requires courage, to reach out to others. Understanding, to grasp and respect their true feelings. Diligence, to be there for them whenever they need you. Expression, to find the words to show them that you care. Knowledge, to help them find the answers when the teacher asks questions in class." Turning to Kanji and Yosuke, he met their eyes with rare seriousness. "It will not be easy. My training will push you to your limits. Sometimes, you will want to give up. Sometimes, you will long for the release of death. Once you accept, as your friend, I will not allow you to give up, no matter how much force I have to use. My love is more than tough enough. Once I become your sensei, there is no turning back. But, if you survive, you will truly have what it takes to create true bonds in even the strangest of places, to wield the true power of friendship. Knowing all this, are you still willing to accept the challenge?"

Kanji very deliberately did not gulp.

"I will." Yosuke nodded. "I'll do whatever it takes." He was sick of turning himself into the laughingstock and only being rewarded with false friendships.

"Well, if he's doing it, it's not like I can wimp out. Bring it on!"

"Alright." Yu nodded. "I'm going to need everyone's help for this." Unzipping his jacket, he said to himself, "Between your job at Junes, Yosuke, and the way you stay up all night making cute things, Kanji, I'd say your Diligence is maxed out." Looking back and forth between the two of them, he decided, "We'll start by focusing on your courage. I'll talk to Yukiko and draw up your schedules tonight."

* * *

Staring at the stacks of Tupperware Yukiko and Chie had carried onto the roof and put next to the backpack Yu was pouring books out of, Kanji asked, "What is all this?"

"Training materials." Yu handed each of them a folder. "Here are your schedules for the next week."

Yosuke opened his. "Work at daycare? Dude, I can't, I have work at Junes then!"

"And what's this about my refrigerator?" Kanji scratched his head.

"I've taken that into consideration, Yosuke: Ai and I will cover your shifts. These," Yu told them, pointing at the food storage containers, "are Yukiko's contribution to your training. They are going in your refrigerators. When marked on the schedule, you will open your refrigerator, take a random one, and sample the contents. The next day, you will give Yukiko feedback on her cooking."

Yosuke blanched. "Dude, are you serious?"

"I assure you, I am very serious." Yu nodded firmly. "I told you, didn't I? If you endure the trials I will place before you, not even death or telling a girl your true feelings will hold any power to frighten you, because you will have faced worse and survived."

"I'll do it!" Kanji blurted out, clenching his hands into fists. "Semp-Sensei!"

_Right, _Yosuke thought. _Kanji didn't try Chie and Yukiko's curry on the school camping trip._ So of course he was hooked in by the reference to Naoto.

"Good! These are for you." Yu dumped a stack of books into Kanji's hands. "Your shadow said that he didn't know what it meant to be a real man. This series will teach you what it is to live the life of a true man, following your own path and refusing to back down in the face of the cruel words of lesser spirits or the world's failure to grasp the true glory to be found in the pursuit of absolute cuteness! You will read them during breaks, on the bus and when it's marked on the schedule."

Yosuke noticed that they were only supposed to eat the Mystery Food X when they didn't have work the next day. "Wait, hospital? And studying?"

"I've already talked to Sayoko. You'll be in good hands with her, just watch where she puts them. And of course I left you time to study. It's important to do well on tests."

"Oh, I get you," Yosuke smiled. "Remember how everyone reacted when you got first place? But, I'm not all that good at studying."

"That's where Dilligence comes in," Yu told him. "You'll also attend several of my tutoring sessions with Shu before the finals, he's an expert on study techniques and he needs to learn how to share his knowledge with friends and use his skills to form bonds with others. This week, we're focusing on Courage. Next week, Kanji will be joining the Drama Club and Yosuke, you'll be joining the Music Club."

"What? But, but I don't play any instruments!" Yosuke protested.

Yu frowned at him. "No one's born knowing how to play the French Horn: everyone else there started out sometime. And don't worry, the girl who will be looking after you there isn't very good yet herself. I'm counting on you to give her the encouragement and frank feedback she needs. Forcing yourself to try your best in front of others will train your Courage as well as your Expression."

"Can't I join a sports team, or something? That helps people get popular, right?"

"No: that would only work on your Diligence. Remember, friendship isn't about looking good. Such shallow bonds won't hold up in the face of adversity."

Yosuke winced: he knew all about that.

"You need Courage to reach out to learn the truth about other people, and Expression to show others the truth in your own hearts. Facing our true selves, seeking out the truth of other people and loving them for who they are: this is the path to true power!"

* * *

"Look, I'll see what I can do for you with the manager, ok?"

"Thanks, Hana-chan!" one of those two girls said, barely even bothering to hide the mockery in her voice.

"You're welcome," Yosuke said automatically. After they left, he turned around. "Huh? What's wrong, partner?"

Still facepalmed, Yu sighed. "I think this is a job for Ai."

* * *

"First, Hana-chan," Ai told him as they sat in the table at the mall, surrounded by the bags of her purchases Yosuke had carried all day, "I want to tell you that I know what you're going through, and I respect that you're trying to change yourself. You think I was just born this gorgeous? No! I worked really hard to become this beautiful! To have boys lining up to carry my bags! To have grown men beg to become my sugar daddy so that I can crush their pathetic egos under my designer heels! To have girls like the ones who used to mock me die of envy, knowing just how pathetic they are compared to someone like me! I used to be fat and pathetic, like… Well, not like you. You're more pathetic than I ever was: at least I was looked down on because of my weight, you don't even have that excuse. But, look at me now. Once, I used to suck up to people to get them to try to like me. Now, I'm the one people suck up to."

He was: getting to look at her ass was the only compensation he had for following her around like a pack mule all day. "Thanks for the encouragement? I think?"

"Don't thank me yet!" Ai rose up from her seat. "Yu has been working his hardest to help you develop the proper attitude, and I can see why he called me in. I've been testing you all day, and you know what? You fail! You didn't once protest when I told you to do something! You didn't once express your true feelings, no matter how hard I tried to provoke you! There's only one thing you're good at, and that's lying like the doormat you are! Listen, _Flower-chan_, do you know why girls like bad boys and boys adore bad girls like me? Because they know where they stand with us! A boy that sucks up to girls, or a girl who just looks cute all the time: no one can live like that! They're obviously being fake, and you know that, don't you? You're an expert at being fake, even if you're barely on the level of a worm compared to me!"

Her frown was replaced for a second by a smirk as good as a noblewoman's laugh. "If someone's a jerk to everyone else, but nice to you, then at least you know they aren't too much of a pansy to express their true feelings! That there's at least a chance that they'd tell you if you did something they didn't like, that the reason they treat you better than everyone else is because you're actually special to them instead of just the person they're trying to trick into bed! 'Friend zoned?' Don't make me laugh! Men like that aren't attractive because they don't act like men! How can you like someone if you never see their true self, because they haven't got the balls to show it to you? People like you who go around being all nice to everyone, sucking up to them and hoping they'll get liked in return: it's impossible not to grind someone like that into the dirt, when they're so busy doing it to themselves! And idiots like you even like it, don't you? Or at least that was what you told yourself. Yeah, I heard all about your stupid shadow. If you don't start sticking up for yourself, bitches are going to turn you into _their _bitch, use you and throw you away for the rest of your life! Doesn't that piss you off?"

Yosuke winced. "Everyone's staring at us."

Ai hung her head and groaned. "Yu's going to _owe me _for this."

* * *

"Meet up then? Sure, that's no pr-Ow!"

Yosuke must have covered up his phone, but Kanji could still hear muffled voices. When Yosuke came back on, he sighed, "I mean, can you wait until four? Thanks to Ai, I finally managed to get overtime like everyone else, and I still need that new bike."

"Sure. Sounds like she's getting a lot of use out of that paper fan."

"Dude, how could you make something like that for her? I hate that thing!"

"No one said you had to stand there and let me hit you, Pansy-chan!" Kanji winced as he heard a good solid thwack over the phone.

"Well, what am I supposed to do-Oh," Yosuke said, with the awe of a man suddenly visited with enlightenment. "The next time you come near me with that thing, it's ending up in pieces!"

* * *

"Well, you seem happy, Yosuke," Chie said, staring at her beautificaly smiling classmate.

"I made three employees resign in tears and my Dad called me up to his office just to yell at me. I made him tear some of his hair out! Would you believe he didn't even know the shift manager started paying me overtime? Talking to me about 'doing my share to help his career' and 'it's a new store, what about my cash flow' and…"

"I'm sorry, Yosuke," Yukiko said sympathetically.

"Are you_ kidding_? I made him bump me up a pay grade, and he's lucky I didn't make him pay me at HR or shift manager level, since that's what I've been doing since we moved here! And he knows it, too, he had to call Mom and get her to try to guilt-trip me out of talking to your uncle about all the _on record _times they've violated labor laws! I don't have all the records of my hours, but I have enough the regional manager will be on Dad's ass if he finds out! He thinks I got pissed off enough that I really would have done it, and I made him realize how many times I've saved his ass because of all the labor trouble we have out here. I got an _apology _at breakfast for making me sacrifice my schooling so much for his sake! I'm even getting a down payment on that motorcycle for this, so I don't have to bust my ass getting to school on time when I have to help with the morning grocery rush!" Booyah!

"Your dad didn't realize how much he was taking advantage of you because you weren't showing him your true feelings," Yu said, nodding sagely. "And Shu's surprise birthday party? That was all Yosuke." He frowned. "Kanji, though: he's used to covering up his true feelings with anger, instead of playing the fool," like Yosuke. "I may need to take drastic measures."

* * *

"Naoto!"

The detective turned and blinked to see her teammate running towards her in hall. She was even more startled when he flung himself at her feet and declared, "I love you, man!"

"What?" was all she could say, blushing furiously.

"Aww, but Kanji, we hadn't even gotten started!" Rise complained as she, Yukiko and Yu caught up to him.

"No way! I wanted the guts to say it, right, that was why I agreed to this in the first place! It's not giving up if I already accomplished my goal!" Kanji said, totally not clinging to Naoto's legs for protection.

Rise and Yukiko both looked at Yu.

"It's progress," their leader agreed, "but what's important are Naoto's feelings." And Kanji had lost major points for not realizing that.

"Well, that's up to her, isn't it?" Kanji argued.

Yu beamed.

"What," Rise asked as he turned away, "We're leaving?"

"My work here is done."

"Aww…Now what am I going to do with all this lipstick?"

"So, uh… Do you want to hang out sometime?"

* * *

_Because it takes level five courage to approach Naoto._

_And after surviving Yukiko's cooking experiments, how bad can getting turned down be, really?_

_Somewhat TimelineWhatTimeline, only approximately in the same 'verse as the others. _


	4. Fighting Your Friends With Benefits

_Scenes from P4 Arena in the Hugverse._

* * *

"Oh, Yosuke," Yu said, pulling him aside for a minute on the way of a TV. "About your souvenir: I gave Sayoko a call. She said she'd love to e-mail a cute boy like you some pictures." After helping Yosuke train his courage, Sayoko remembered him and Kanji fondly. Yu had asked her to go all-out to help them become more courageous, and she'd gauged their progress by measuring how high they jumped when she slapped their asses.

"Whoa, seriously?" Yosuke stared, mouth open. "You're the best, partner!" he declared, already opening up his cell phone.

* * *

Elizabeth pouted. "Silly parlor tricks like these can get stuffed!" Her booted foot lashed out to kick the invisible wall. "Well, we shall see about this…" Her book flipped open in front of her.

"I'm sorry, sister," a voice came from behind her. "It seems whatever enemy is responsible for these events designed its protections to hold even a denizen of the Velvet Room."

Elizabeth turned and smiled. "Why, dear Margaret! Do you mean that I will be unable to pass unless I am victorious? So I have finally been recognized as a participant in this tournament: how marvelous!"

"I have been instructed by our Master to advise one of our Guests," Margaret told her. "Unfortunately, I cannot help prepare him to face these challenges if I am unable to reach him."

The junior elevator attendant clapped her hands, delighted. "So this will be an opportunity to see how much my strength has grown since I left the Velvet Room!"

Two Demonic Compendiums opened.

"Your fate is in the cards!"

* * *

"Hey, you mangy furball!" Kanji declared.

Yasogami-sama paused, sitting back on his haunches and tilting his head. How strange. This human normally showed proper respect towards his god's power and cuteness by offering up head pettings and kitsune udon.

"Let's throw down, you and me! If you win, I'll owe you a hundred million yen, or all the yen I ever earn!"

The fox shrine guardian instantly assumed human form, readying his beads and ofuda. "I accept your terms."

* * *

"Oh, it's you," Yosuke said nervously. "Of all the luck."

"What does that mean?" Izzy asked crossly, glaring at him from under her baseball cap.

Susano-o shifted nervously in the back of Yosuke's head. It made him wonder if he'd have an easier time dealing with izzy if she wasn't his persona's mom. "Um, you know that they're distorting what we say, right? So you won't take whatever that fake Teddie makes it _look _like I say personally?"

_Oh crap oh crap oh crap_ he thought as Izzy's uniform was replaced by that white robe and dessicated limbs began to reach from the space around her. Looked like she hadn't gotten the message yet.

And aside from two of his friends getting kidnapped, the day had started out so well…

* * *

Ai sputtered. "Noveau Riche? Someone who goes into combat in a mink coat has no right to accuse me of conspicuous consumption! I worked hard to look this good! I'll take that silver spoon and disembowel you with it, you old hag! I'll show you the power of a self-made beauty!"

* * *

"…Labrys," Yu said, "Think about it. She wasn't saying that she wants revenge, or to kill all humans: no, she wanted us to _understand_. What would have happened if you did something like this to the scientists who made you fight your sisters? What if you were able to make _them _understand how horrible it was, to be forced to fight and kill your friends? Trying to get through to humans how wrong that was: it would have saved their lives. It's not revenge that your shadow wants, Labrys, and it's not _just _to have friends that understand, even if that's one of the most precious things there is."

He looked at her with those compassionate grey eyes. "Don't you see, Labrys? Even the part of you that you thought was the worst part, that you think is just the cruel machine they wanted: even that part of you _is still trying to save your sisters, _after all this time. You're still fighting for them to live, no matter what. This place: it's born of your wish to make them understand, so they didn't make you kill any more of your sisters. So your sisters could live. How could any of us possibly hate you for wishing that you could save your family? You saw how I fought my friends in order to get here so that I could save Nanako, didn't I? Not wanting your family to die: _everyone _who's a good person understands that, Labrys. You aren't alone. The reason you wanted us to experience the pain of fighting and losing our loved ones: wasn't that so you wouldn't have to feel that pain anymore? So no one else would have to feel that pain anymore? Your wish, to make the world a place where nothing like that ever happens again: that's not something that you need to be ashamed of."

Ai elbowed Aigis in the side. "Go and hug your sister," she whispered, fast, harsh and urgent.

"Hurry!" Yosuke agreed, looking at Yu and Labrys nervously. "Dude, going through someone like that… That girl seriously needs some hugs."

"I'm amazed he's held out this long," Naoto agreed.

"You're a wild card, aren't you?" Ai demanded of Aigis. "You know what they're like: move! Before he starts making her boxed lunches!"

Naoto blinked. "But we're in the TV world, and is she capable of consuming human food?"

"Look at her!" Yosuke waved his arm in the direction of Labrys, who looked about ready to collapse after the strain of fighting and accepting her persona. "Do you honestly think my partner would let _that _stop him?" When if she was human, she could really use some hot soup or something right now?

Aigis' eyes narrowed. "Understood." Swiftly, the anti-shadow emergency control weapon moved to capture the target in her arms.

* * *

"Wait, you want to control our _shadows_," Yu realized. "Does that mean you're the opposite of the power of persona that Margaret told me about? The embodiment of the weakness in human hearts that drives us to do stupid things like hurt other people because of our own selfishness?" He drew his sword. "So, does that mean that you're what drove detective Adachi to commit those murders?"

"The center of the malice that is the reason the Great Seal is necessary," Elizabeth agreed, holding out her book. In a flash, Mitsuru's sword was out as well. She only wished that Yukari could be here with them.

"Wait, are you saying that this thing is the part of those bastards that made them make me kill my sisters?!" Labrys demanded.

The fake Shadow Yu only laughed.

"So, you're all that _and _if you're like Philemon, then you'll keep coming back to life as long as people are still like that, right?" Kanji asked, cracking his knuckles. "So you're everything that's messed up about the world, and we can beat the shit out of you _as many times as we want?" _

Akihiko blinked. Happy sparkles appeared in the eyes of the Investigation Team.

"Wait," Chie said, bouncing happily from one foot to the other the way she did when she was raring to go. "What are we standing around here for?"

Yu gave the order to "Attack!" and Nyarlathotep found itself at the center of a big ball of violence.

* * *

When they met up again to say goodbye, Mitsuru's curiosity drove her to approach the leader of the Investigation Team. "…Narukami."

"Yes, Ms. Kirijo?" he responded politely without a note of sheepishness despite the unusual circumstances.

Since it didn't seem as though an indirect approach was necessary, the Kirijo heir cut to the chase. "Why are your arms tied behind your back?"

"I think it's important that Labrys get to focus on her bond with her sister right now, and discovering who she is as a person," Yu explained. "And according to Fuuka, in terms of how long she's spent actually awake, Labrys isn't even a fourth as old as Nanako. I can't take that risk."

"Yes, but…" she glanced at the ropes again, because that still didn't answer her question.

"Narukami-san is like _he_ was," Aigis explained. "If not more so."

"Ah," Mitsuru said, nodding. "Say no more."

"I don't want to hurt her feelings, but I don't want to cause any of the usual side effects either." Yu sighed. "So as long as she understands that I _would _hug her if Naoto wasn't holding Kanji hostage, I hope she won't feel as though it's that I don't want to be her friend." After all she'd been through.

* * *

_Because, seriously, who wouldn't love the chance to repeatedly maim the avatar of all the stupidity and immature dickishness that has caused all of us so much pain and facepalming throughout history? 'I have met our inner child, and I am __really__ looking forward to bitchslapping the bastard.' I mean, how many times have you wished that you could reach through your computer screen to stab some idiot troll in the face? Exactly!_

_ALL YO YENS Yip yip yap. What better illusion to make the fox fight?_


End file.
